Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-25

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Choices made by individuals keep on changing with the changing time. Hence I disagree with the statement that people nowadays have too many chaoices to make. In my opinnion the number of choices that have to be made have varied in nature from our ancestors.

Firstly in the modern era with the technological advancements survival is not the problem any more. Our choices have now become more of a first world problem where the major concern for us can be where is the best hospital in the city and which car can give best mileage/ luxury. While our ancestors had to be concerned with problems like will there be enough food for survival tomorrow. But this is to symbolise that only the nature of choices have changed through the years with the number of choices remaining more or less the same.

Secondly even in the same time line different people are surviving in different situation. For instance in a developed country the choices might be regarding where should one invest his money or what should one do to promote the business. While in stark contrast in a under developed nation the choices are where can one get clean water supply or a comfortable bed.

Thirdly people tend to feel this way because as person grows up, he becomes more independent. With in dependence comes the burden of more choices. For instance children mostly live under the guidance of an adult who ultimately become responsible to make decisions for them. But as one grows up he has to take the choices regarding his career, relationship and so on. This can give a false sense that the amount of choices are increasing as time passes but it is actually just that people are growing up.

To conclude different comfort levels and advancements in life have just altered the choices one has to make but the amount of choices have still remained the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses the prompt directly by disagreeing with the statement that people today have too many choices. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. The response presents three main supporting arguments: how the nature of our problems has shifted from mere survival to lifestyle choices, how choices vary globally depending on socio-economic development, and how growing up creates a false perception of increasing choices. While the ideas are relevant and generally well-supported with examples such as hospital choices versus food security, some points could be extended further to reach a higher band level. For instance, the discussion on global differences touches upon developed versus underdeveloped nations, but stops short of fully exploring how consumerism specifically drives the volume of choices. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are addressed adequately, fulfilling the criteria for a Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, using transition markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Thirdly', and 'To conclude' to sequence ideas. However, referencing and cohesive ties are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly placed, such as 'While this is to symbolise that only the nature of choices have changed', which disrupts the natural flow of ideas. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct arguments, though the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be smoother. There are also minor mechanical issues in referencing, such as shifting pronouns between singular and plural references ('as person grows up' followed by 'he has to take the choices'). Overall, the logical progression is clear enough to satisfy the requirements for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic discussion, including terms such as 'technological advancements', 'first world problem', and 'socio-economic contexts'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors and awkward lexical choices throughout the text, such as 'chaoices' instead of 'choices', 'opinnion', and 'in dependence' instead of 'independence'. Collocations are occasionally weak, as seen in 'take the choices' instead of 'make choices'. While the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main arguments, the presence of frequent spelling and word-choice errors places this performance firmly in the Band 6.0 category, as the errors do not severely impede overall communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional ideas and relative clauses ('where the major concern for us can be where is the best hospital...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several punctuation errors, missing articles, and awkward phrasing, such as 'with the changing time' instead of 'with changing times', and 'the number of choices that have to be made have' where subject-verb agreement fails. Additionally, sentences like 'This can give a false sense that the amount of choices are increasing' exhibit grammatical flaws. Despite these frequent errors, the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader, aligning with the descriptors for Band 6.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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